Will Apple Kill the iPod Shuffle & Classic?

We noted yesterday that the decision by Apple to move the launch of the iPhone 5 to September/October, which for almost a decade has been the the period dedicated to the iPod and iTunes, could mean that the company may be contemplating leaving the device that triggered its rebirth.

Many, including CNet and TUAW, note that the event doesn't mention anything about the iPod and, with the company's quarterly conference call scheduled for the end of the month, it is unlikely that there will be another launch event in October.

It is likely that only two iPods will survive any potential cull at Cupertino; an entry level iPod and the iPod Touch, mostly because (a) people still buy single-function devices (b) the iPod Touch runs iOS and is the cheapest device to do so.

TUAW mentions an anonymous source which confirmed that two iPod devices will get the boot this year, possibly the Classic and the Shuffle with the Nano falling down in price.

Why would Apple get rid of the iPod? Well, apart from the fact that the family has reached the end of the road (how many ways can you STILL improve a music player after nearly a decade), the market for audio players is slowly dying due to the fact that all smartphones - including the iPhone - come with decent music players.